Practices interested in ethically boosting their bottom line and getting $80 or more for the same closure repair need to walk the line that separates simple from intermediate.

What Makes a Repair “Simple”?

A wound closure is a simple repair if the procedure:

is simple;

is a single-layer closure involving the epidermis, dermis, or subcutaneous tissues; and

does not involve deeper structures.

Code these closures with 12001-12021, confirms Dilsia Santiago, CCS, CCS-P, a coder in Reading, Pa. And remember that simple repair includes “local anesthesia, and chemical or electrocauterization of wounds not closed,” she continues.